June 24, 2005 Okay...here I am sooner than expected. I have decided
to weigh each morning for what is left of this week, to help me stay on track! So far, so good. I do have a dilema
coming up. My sister and her husband are coming up for a visit this weekend, which means a trip to IHOP for breakfast,
which is a downfall of mine. I LOVE to eat breakfast, and IHOP is by far, my favorite place to go! I usually order...get
this....Their Healthy Grain and Nut combo platter. This consists of 2 eggs, hashbrowns, ham, AND 2 heatlhy grain and
nut pancakes!! YUMMY! I, of course, wash this down with a pot of coffee!! I LOVE pancakes. Just
love them. And to have to pass on them this weekend will be hard. They do have other items that I can have....such
as...an egg beater omlett....but for some reason it just isn't as good as my pancakes!! SO...I will have to do some
research at the IHOP web site to find something suitable to eat. The last thing I want to do is go away from that place
feeling like I was cheated out of my yummy breakfast, which will undoubtably throw me off the train and under the tracks,
so to speak! They have pancakes that are made with Cream of Wheat, that I actually tried once and liked...so maybe after
checking out their nutritional info, I will try them once again. AND...I can always get the sugar free syrup.
I just have to plan, and then stick to my plan. I know that it should be more about the conversation and time spent
with family....but I just love to eat...sigh... I will let you know what I decide BEFORE I go...and then maybe if I
tell you on here, it will make me be more accountable once I am there.
I did receive word that my computer is in town and on a big UPS truck somewhere making its way to my house!! Hopefully
by the middle of the afternoon I will have it in my hands! I am so excited.
Okay...off I go again. I will be checking back in more often as I need to be able to be accountable and keep on
track!! LATER!
June 26, 2005 Here I am checking in on Sunday morning. I weighed this morning and am down
5 pounds from my weigh in last Sunday, but up a pound from a couple of days ago. I was trying to weigh every morning
to help keep me accountable, but Ken beat me into the bathroom yesterday and I didn't want to wait until he got done in there
to have a cup of coffee, so I didn't weigh. We went out to eat TWICE yesterday, so I am sure that is why I saw a pound
gain this morning, but you know what? We were out with family (sister came in from out of state) and we had a FANTASTIC
time! I know I can lose that pound, and even at that, I am still down 5 pounds from last week, so I know I can do this!
GUESS WHAT? My laptop computer arrived on Friday morning! How cool is that? I am currently typing this
on my desktop computer as I coudn't connect to tripod from my laptop. I think I will have to go into the controls and
set something up differently...but at least I can get in here! I love my new laptop, and it is so fun to be mobil with
it! This morning I took it outside on the patio and had a cup of coffee out there and surfed the net! SO COOL!
Tomorrow Ken and I go back to work. SIGH...hope they have the airconditioning fixed. It has been down for
the past month, and I work in a room with 21 computers, and it gets HOT to say the least! I did get my contract for
this next year and due to my education that I got this past year, I moved up and over on the salary schedule which is going
to help a lot! YEAH!
Okay...off to Walmart to get some healthy food for this next week! See you in seven!
July 03, 2005 Back with you you this Sunday morning! Hope all is well in your world.
I weighed this morning and am down 2 pounds to 264. YEAH! I just have to keep going. I know this G.I. diet
will work WHEN I work it. It really is an easy program to follow. I just have to do it. This probably boils
down to just being disciplined enough to stay out of the types of food that are not good for me, and the little kid in me
just doesn't want to mind!! I have a couple of areas that I need to improve on, food wise. One being bread and
butter, my favorite comfort food, and the other one being cheese. I like to snack on both and shouldn't. The last
couple of days I have been getting better about not eating at night. I just reminded myself that I was going to be getting
on the scales come Sunday morning and I wanted to see those numbers going down!
I did a really stupid thing yesterday. I was getting ready to use my curling iron and wanted to see if it was hot
enough, and for some unknown reason, I touched my arm with it to check it out! CRAP! Let's just say it was hot!
WOW! I can't believe that I would do that. I had my jammies on that are made out of a sweatshirt type material
and I originally planned to just touch my arm and feel the heat through my jammies, but when I raised my arm to check it,
my sleeve fell down and I touched the bare skin! CRAP! (can't say that enough, believe me!) So now I am
sporting a nice burn on the underside of my left arm, about half way in between my wrist and elbow! No matter how old
I get, there are still things to learn!!
I had an inmate make a comment about me this past week that really hurt my feelings. (For those that don't
know it, I work in a prison in the education department.) We were talking about fireworks, and the guys asked me if I
spent a lot of money on fireworks each year. Since we don't, I told them that we didn't buy fireworks, as it seemed
to be a waste of money, when we could just go somewhere and watch other people shoot theirs off and enjoy them. I told
them that I like to buy things that will still be around the next day. AND...that basically I was cheap! One guy
said that he knew I must have a lot of money, because I had worked at the prison as long as I have. The
other inmate said....''You know she doesn't have any money, just look at the clothes that she is wearing''. OUCH!
HELLO? I am sitting right here in front of you! I just gave him this look, and shook my head and a couple of other
inmates kind of groaned a bit, like they couldn't believe he would say that....and then looked at me for my reaction, and I
just let it go. It was for the best, but believe me, it hurt. I don't think my clothes are bad. I wear
either black or navy slacks with shirts. I just don't have a variety of things to wear. While I am dieting, I
refuse to buy a lot of stuff that in a couple of months I can't wear. I do try to incorporate new tops into
the mix as I am losing....and buy them at Walmart, Sears. or Dillards. AND...I don't think they look cheap.
I don't know if he expected me to wear suits into work or what...but after all, I do work in a prison, and I do
not plan on wearing designer clothes to work! SIGH...I think it just goes back to me being a bit insecure. AND...I
would love to have lots of cute clothes that fit and look fantastic! All in due time. If anything, this should
make me more determined to lose weight.
Okay...I have rambled on enough for this morning. Time to get my day started and another cup of coffee poured. My
thought for you this week is to not give up. Pick one area of your weight loss plan, whether it be the food, water,
or exercise and WORK it. Don't worry about the other two aspects. Just pick the one thing that you think you can
do, and do it. Then in time you can add in another aspect of your plan and so on...until you have everything working
together. Even little changes will help you lose weight. You don't have to be an all or nothing person when it
comes to working your program. You are worth the effort. I'll see you in seven!!
7-10-05 Hard to believe a week has gone by already! Of course when the work week begins
on a Tuesday due to the holiday, that does seem to speed things up a bit. I suppose this next week, being a full week
at work will drag by! I am happy to report a 1 1/2 pound loss this morning! I am at 262.50 on the scales! YEAH!
Still working my way back to my weight in January before I had my foot surgery. I still plan on losing 50 pounds this
year, and think it is a doable thing...even with my gain earlier. If I can get 50 off this year, along with the 50 pounds
I lost last year...then I will be ready to finish this up in the following year. It is exciting to think of being under
200 pounds! Not to mention being at goal weight. Right now I am listing my goal weight as 145. I weighed
180 when I got married to Ken 14 years ago, and he said he liked me at that weight, but I really want to get below 150.
I can always adjust my goal weight as I get closer to it. Maybe 160 will feel right....I just don't know.
Yesterday we bought 2 crape myrtle trees for the front yard. We got a great deal on them as they were 50 percent
off and sold for just $17.49 each! YEAH! Ken got them planted and they are really pretty. He does a lot
of beautiful work on our yard....I would have no patience for it! The hot sun, mosquitoes and flies would have me inside
in no time!
I have stopped eating in the middle of the night. At least I hope I have. It has been 4 nights in a row now
that I have, so I hope I am starting a good habit of NOT eating when I get up at 3 in the morning to let the dogs out!
I post on a message board with some wonderful ladies, and the first thing I do when I get up, is to jump on the board and
post whether or not I have eaten during the night. Seems to really help me stay on the straight and narrow. I
have also given up my precious bread and butter for now. I just can't eat it. It is a comfort food for me...and
I love it too much!
I am happy to report that my curling iron burn is better this week. Still a little tender, but I think I will survive!
The pharmacist told me that I shouldn't have broken the blister. (I used a sterilized needle to put a small hole in
the edge.) Even though both my husband and mother told me I should...the water protects the skin and should have been
left alone! Live and learn!
Okay...off to start my Sunday! I hope you are having a good weekend, and are being good to yourself!
Try not to stress over things you have no control over....and LIVE! See you in seven!
July 17, 2005 Here it is Sunday once again! And I am happy to report a 1/2 pound loss
this week. Wish it could have been more, but I am okay with it. I just have to keep doing what I am doing and
I know I will be okay.
My burn is healing nicely. Thank goodness. I did have another ''incident'' that happened, that I think about
every time I take a step! Last week I felt this kind of stinging on the bottom of my foot. I was not at a place
where I could take my shoes and panty hose off to check it out, so I just went about my business. Later that night when
I went to investigate my sore foot...I couldn't see anything and let it go at that. A couple of days later I noticed
my foot was sore at that spot, and when I looked at it, I noticed a small bump with what looked like something in it.
The mom in me decided to open this bump up and see if it was a dog hair...which I know from experience can cut your foot.
I used a pair of nail clippers (still slapping my head over that) and opened it up. I couldn't find the hair that I
suspected (and still do) was in there...and now my foot hurts even more! The bottom of your foot (specifically the instep)
is a very sensitive part of your body! OUCH! Hopefully the next few days it will calm down. Not sure if
that hair, or whatever it is will ever come out...but if it is going to...it will do it on its own. I am not digging
around on my poor foot anymore!
I am happy to report that I have NOT gotten up to eat during the night for the entire week! YEAH! That is such an accomplishment.
I have also avoided bread and butter this week. I did have one moment when I got out the bread and butter and looked
at it...but decided to give the piece of bread to Brinkley and Butch (my dogs) and let it go at that. I had just come
too far to go back at that point!! YEAH!
Okay...off I go to start my Sunday. The sun is shining and it looks like it is going to be a great day! See
you in seven!!
July 25, 2005 Here I am eight days later....but I am here none the less.
If you checked out my weigh in, you will see that I am up to 269! CRAP! 269! How did that happen you might
ask? Well, this is what happens when you eat out 4 times in one week and do not follow your program. I have no
one to blame but myself. I wasn't keeping track of my food intake, which is a definate downfall for me. Even if
I eat off track...I need to be accountable and post it. Live and learn.....
So here I am going into a new week. I am still determined. It has been hot out. Guess that is why they
call it summer. Ken is off work for the next two weeks. I will take next week off with him. I am happy to
report that I am NOT eating during the night...so that is still a victory. I need to exercise...just don't seem to have
the energy. I sit and stare at the pool. There is a part of me that is sad that I can't get into it. Maybe
someday. Okay...off I go...see you in six!
July 31, 2005 Well if you checked out my weigh in, you will see that I stayed the same as
last week. How I did this is beyond me, as my eating has been HORRIBLE this past week! Just not on track at all,
and at times, not even caring! This is what happens when you stress out and go off program. It is soooo hard to
get back on track! Still I know I have to. I can't gain this weight back. I feel so much better when I am
losing. The reason I am stressing, is because my son lost his job. This was due to his jumping at another job without
thinking about the cost of driving, the shape of his car, etc. and when he finally talked to us about it and realized that
it would be a mistake to take this other job in a city 45 minutes + away from here, that they had already hired someone else
for his full time job and he wouldn't be able to keep it. MAJOR STRESS! This kid is buying his own house, has
major bills each month and basically just barely gets by on the full time and part time job he had! SIGH...so here I
am, stressing about a job that he doesn't have. He doesn't seem too terribly worried, which bothers me quite a bit too.
I forget how fearless you can be at 21. Hopefully something will work out soon. He has 2 more weeks before his
house payment is due. Something HAS to work out.
Okay...my goal for the week is to get back on track.
Ken and I are both off this week on vacation, and I need to get this eating back on track!! Have a great week, I will
see you in seven!!
August 7, 2005 Hi guys. Here it is seven days later and I am happy to report a 2 pound
loss! YEAH!! I am now at 267 once again. I wish I would quit messing around and just get serious
with this weight loss thing! I need to. I hate going up and down on the scale. I told myself when I went under
250 that I would NEVER see that number on the scale again, and here I am in the 260's. Frustration is definately a term
I understand. Still I just have to keep working my program and I know I can get this weight off. I don't
know how many times I was in my 290's before I finally broke free of that number, so I can't give up!
I started exercising this week! How strange is that? Anyone that knows ANYTHING about me knows how I
hate to exercise...but I pulled out my Leslie Sansone's Walk Away the Pounds 1 mile video and have been doing it every day
since this past Tuesday. I need to keep exercise in my daily routine. I know this...yet it is hard to do.
It's hard at this size to move....still I know that exercise is the key to breaking away the chains that has held me at
this size! My plan is to get up around 5:30 in the morning and exercise BEFORE I go to work. That way, I
will have NO EXCUSES for not exercising! After work I am always tired. Getting it in early in the morning
should give me the added push to stay on track for the rest of the day. At least that is the plan. We'll
see how wonderful I feel about exercising at 5:30 in the morning. I need to go to bed a little earlier at night...that
will help too! AND...I am going to tell myself that if I want, I can come home after work and take a little nap
if need be.
My son still hasn't found a job. He registered with a local temporary employment agency this past week and
signed paperwork on Friday after doing a bunch of testing. They apparently called and left a message on Friday
that they want him to call in on Monday....so hopefully that means that they have a job for him. I hope so anyway.
HE NEEDS A JOB! I have done fairly well ths past week about not worrying excessively about it. Still
it is hard.
Okay...off to get this day started. Guess I need to get my shoes on and get in there and do my 1 mile walk!
I hope all is well in your world. See you in seven!!
August 14, 2005 Discouraged, I come in here to post this morning. I say discouraged, as
the scale DIDN'T move this morning when I stepped on it. It stayed right where it was last week at 267! MAN!
I know from past experiences, that this just means that I am getting ready for a loss this next week....(or at least that's
what I tell myself and others when this happens)...but I would have loved to see something today. I am still exercising
daily. Getting up at 5:30 in the morning works okay for me. I almost feel like I go through the first 10
minutes of the workout asleep, and then when I am finally awake....I'm almost done! :) I'm
kind of an ''all or nothing'' kind of girl, and my only fear with exercising every day is that some day I will get totally
burned out with it and just stop. Years earlier I was doing Richard Simmons Sweatin' to the Oldies 2 and I got up early
just like I am doing now, and for 9 months I didn't miss a day. Sick or not, I was up doing the video. Then one
day I just stopped. And I haven't really done his tape since. I don't want that. I want to be able to miss
a day and not feel like I have ruined everything. I just have to get my mind set to do it. I should mention that
I lost a lot of weight during those 9 months....unfortunately, I gained them all back and then some. SIGH...
I am happy to report that Adam got a temp. job with Kroger in their offices. He worked all last week and is set
to work this week again. He really likes it there and I am hoping that in time they will decide to hire him on.
He would love that...but I keep telling him that they call it TEMPORARY for a reason...and the job could end at any time.
Just don't want him to be disappointed if it doesn't work out.
I am suffering from a COLD! One of the inmates that I work with had this awful cold this past week and kept bringing
math up for me to grade and wouldn't you know....I have a cold now! Summer colds are the worst! Because of it,
I am not going to the nursing home to see mom this weekend, as she does NOT need to catch a cold. Also, my sweet neighbor
Mary, who is 87, is in the hospital with congestive heart failure, and I would love to go see her as well....but won't go
with a cold. Hopefully I can post on here next week that she is out of the hospital and doing better. She reminds
me so much of Ken's mom, who was also named Mary. Such a sweet woman.
Okay...off to start this day. Let's give it another week and see if the weight starts coming off. I know
it will eventually! See you in seven!
August 21, 2005 I am happy to report a 4 pound loss this week! YEAH! FINALLY....I
am hoping that this is the begining of a lot of losses to come! Maybe this exercising is finally paying off! I
hope so anyway. I am still getting up at 5:30 and doing my Walk Away the Pounds video.
I ended up staying home two days from work this past week with my cold. It actually turned out to be a bad sinus
infection and I went to the dr. on Monday. Finally on Wednesday I headed back to work. I am feeling much better
today. My neighbor Mary got out of the hospital last week, and is doing better. Ken and I went over today to visit
with her and her son John. They are such nice people and I am glad they moved into the neighborhood.
College classes start tomorrow. I will be taking a Psychology class and an English class. I am excited to be back
in school. I know by the end of the semester, I will be ready for a break, but for right now...it is exciting!
Okay...off I go for now. I hope this finds you and your family doing well. Thank you for following along
on my journey with me! I know I can get this weight off!! See you in seven!
August 28, 2005 Well clearly eating out 3 times this week did me no favors. I am up the
4 pounds I lost last week. I know better...but found myself enjoying too much of a good thing. UGH!
Still I have no one to blame but myself.
Classes started this week and I am hoping that I will do okay in both classes. Psych and English are fairly big classes
and I will have to stay on top of them to get through them.
I am still doing my WATP video Monday thru Friday, but do not do it on the weekend. For now this seems to
work for me. I need to measure once again. My clothes are fitting better and I know it is
due to the video!
Okay...off to study. I have a test this week in Psych and need to review. Take
care, have a great week, and I will see you in seven!
October 02, 2005 Well you can see what stress can do to me. I am up to 278.00 and hate it!
I got off track big time when Adam lost his job, and it shows on the scale. I just can't seem to handle stress
without eating. I am NOT exercising. Sad to say, I just stopped doing it, and haven't even thought about it anymore!
Another sad thing is that my neighbor Mary, died. She was 85 and just a sweet woman. I saw her the day before
she died, and we had a nice talk. She wasn't feeling well, but enjoyed our visit. Later that day she went into
the hospital and died during the night.
I mentioned Adam not having a job. He did get hired at Tyson a couple of weeks ago, and I am so glad he did.
He really seems to like it, and makes pretty good money. His roomate Linda, took off to travel with the state fair,
and left her dog with Adam to deal with. Sampson is not as housetrained as one would like, and Adam is working with
him (a 2 yr. old black lab) to get him to do better when he is in the house! Still not a good thing that she just
left this dog for him. Hopefully she will come back and pick this dog up. She seems really irresponsible, so I
don't think Adam will see her anytime soon.
Okay.....off to do my homework. Just wanted to pop on here and get this site up to date. Maybe next week
I can post a loss. I need to get my life back on track now. See you in seven!
October 16, 2005 Today I am happy to report a 4 pound loss! It has been rough, but
I made it through the week on program and was rewarded for it! It is getting a bit easier for me to eat better,
and for that I am thankful. I didn't eat at IHOP this weekend, and that is a good sign. I wanted to, thought about
it, but didn't do it. Progress! YES! I got up this morning and had my oatmeal with splenda and cinnamon.
I tried it that way last week, and really like it! Plus, I save a yogurt that I use to put on it for my after work snack
if I want.
Adam is happy at his job, and even though he hasn't gotten caught up with all his bills yet, things are looking
better. His roomate that took off with the fair and left her dog with him, called and left a message a couple of days
ago and said that she had sent him some rent money....but so far nothing. She said she will be back soon. Wonder
what she will say when she figures out the lock has been changed?
I hate being overweight. This I know. I seem to carry the weight in my abdomen, making my shirts
tight across the stomach, which is not cool. I have to keep on program and get this weight back off. I
know I can do this....I just have to.
Okay....I am going to try to see you in seven!! Hold me to it, okay?
November 19, 2005 Could I be any worse at losing weight? I can not believe that my weight
has gone back up to 288! Well, maybe I can believe it. I have been eating things that I have no business eating...mainly
Starbucks expresso brownies, and their Chocolate Mint brownies...and that will put the weight on you! If I had a question
about this, it has certainly been answered when I stepped on the scale! UGH.
I know I want to lose this weight. I just have to get in the right mind set to do it. If you have struggled
with your weight, then I know that you know exactly what I am talking about. DAMN! How frustrating this all is.
Today I went out to lunch with a friend and had every intention on getting a salad and a bowl of soup. Not the best
choice, but certainly better than what I ended up with, which was a stuffed (with herbed cream cheese) chicken breast and
mashed potatoes! WAY too many calories, and you know what?? It just wasn't as good as I remembered it to be.
Guess I should live and learn, but ended up at Starbucks to get me a coffee and you guessed it, ended up with my two favorite
brownies a long with it! They were so good...but so bad for me. I have to just tell myself that I can NEVER have
them again. Play like I am allergic to them or something. Maybe that will work.
Mom is not feeling well. Seems to have gotten a bit of a bug. She insists that she is not sick, but is really
weak and keeps coughing crap up. I am hoping the antibiotic that the dr. put her on will help her out.
Ken is in his shop putting together a heater for it. He loves to work out in his shop doing little things.
It keeps him busy and happy and I like that! I am working (or should be) on my homework and am trying to get a research
paper finished up in a week. I will be in classes until Dec. 12th and then I am done with this semester! YEAH!
I will be glad. These classes have really kept me busy this semester. My son Adam is planning on returning to
college this next semester. I am glad. I think he has realized that it is better to work smart with a degree in
his back pocket, rather than to work hard all his life.
Okay...I will try to do better about posting on here.
Just didn't want anyone to think I had completely abandoned ship! See you in seven, or SOONER!
December 31, 2005 Well, here I am, dragging my butt in here on New Years Eve! Looking back
over the year, I am disappointed in what I didn't accomplish. I let my foot surgery take me off track...and GAINED back
most of the 50 pounds I lost in 2004! I have not given up...and have gotten back with my G.I. program this past Monday,
December 27th. I will weigh tomorrow morning to see what my weight is going into the new year! I hope to be more
accountable and post weekly on this site. I need to do this, and hope you will work on eating healthier in this new
year with me! Here's to a fantastic new year!
